Methods for administering therapeutic agents to a body organ (e.g., the eye) typically employ either drops (e.g., ocular drops) or an aerosol plume to administer the agents. Without wishing to be bound by any theory, it is believed that such forms of administration can be inaccurate and insufficient in mechanical delivery as well as retention of therapeutic agent at the targeted organ. For example, drops can provide a large quantity of liquid to the eye, beyond the volume capacity of the compartment, resulting in therapeutic agent loss, uncontrolled dose, rapid removal of drops, and uncomfortable administration. Moreover, instillation of an eye drop can be mechanically challenging maneuver for many individuals. For example, once the drop is instilled, blinking of the eyelashes can remove a large and variable volume of the drop. Finally the instillation of large volumes of liquids to the eye can stimulate lacrimal clearance. These factors can be avoided by the use of small volume controlled delivery of agents to the existing lacrimal fluid, as described herein, or to the surface of the target organ.
Regarding aerosol delivery to the eye, aerosol plume geometry can be difficult to control, and ensuring that the aerosol plume deposits on the eye surface can be problematic. Additionally, the force of the aerosol plume can be uncomfortable because in many cases the process of aerosolization is not decoupled from the process of administration to the eye, resulting in a rapidly moving aerosol plume. Accordingly, the use of aerosols emitted as a plume can have challenges associated with complexity of the plume geometry and mechanical coordination of the maneuvers associated with administration. Moreover, the direction and distance of the plume relative to the eye can have variable effects on the amount of therapeutic agent that arrives at the intended target.
Accordingly, there are provided herein inter alia devices and methods for delivering agents (e.g., therapeutic agents in the form of toroidal pharmaceutical composition) in approximately toroidal geometric units of volume suitable for administration of therapeutically active agent into a variety of organs, e.g., eye, ear, nose, throat and the like. There are additionally provided devices and methods for tuning (e.g., adjusting) the toroidal dimensions and aerosol characteristics of the administered therapeutic agents. There are additionally provided devices and methods for management of formulation to ensure appropriate dosing for a variety of therapeutically active agents.